Mercury Therapeutics' main focus is on the discovery development of orally active small molecule activators of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

AMPK is a well-validated though largely unexploited, protein kinase drug target in metabolic disease. While a number of anti-diabetic drugs currently on the market, including metformin (Glucophage®) and pioglitazone (Actos®), have been shown to act indirectly to activate AMPK, Mercury Therapeutics is seeking to develop the first orally available direct AMPK activator. The potential indications of a successful AMPK targeted drug include:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Hyperlipidemia
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Endocrine cancers - prostate, breast, ovarian

In 2006 the worldwide market for oral antidiabetic drugs exceeded $20 billion.